Humanitarian Islam or Board of Peace? Nahdlatul Ulama’s Perspective on Resolving the Palestinian Crisis

Abstract

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is deeply rooted in the weaponization of religious and cultural narratives that justify exclusion and territorial domination. This article explores the role of Humanitarian Islam, particularly as advanced by Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the R20 International Summit of Religious Authorities (ISORA), in offering theological and social frameworks to mediate and resolve such conflicts. By emphasizing universal compassion (rahmah) and equal citizenship (al-muwatinun), Humanitarian Islam presents a transformative approach to counter divisive sacred narratives and foster peacebuilding grounded in shared human dignity. This research employs a qualitative analytical approach to examine the mechanisms of recontextualization in Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and its application to the Palestinian crisis. The study argues that by dismantling obsolete legal categories such as the kafir (infidel) and aligning faith with the international consensus of the UN Charter, Humanitarian Islam provides a sustainable alternative to technocratic peace models.